Logging grapple carriage

ABSTRACT

A grappling carriage that is relatively lightweight and adapted to forcefully close first and second grapple legs with a log or a bundle of logs contained therein. The grappling carriage has a self-contained power supply that is remotely controlled by the operator. The grappling carriage is sufficiently lightweight to operate in a variety of cabling topographies given the relatively lighter weight of the unit.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 60/542,318,filed Feb. 4, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, the logging climate has changed in the past several decades,in that logging regulations and protocol have mandated taking more ofthe logs out of the logged portions out of the woods. For example, inyears past, loggers would not bother with anything under 12–16 inches,whereby only the larger, old-growth timber was taken out of the forestand used for industrial processing for a variety of wood-relatedproducts. However, the climate has drastically changed whereby now everyaspect of the logs which can reasonably economically be removed aretaken from logging sites. Therefore, in essence, at the time of thisinvention, any log which can be properly de-limbed and economicallyremoved is removed from the site. This changes the dynamics of logremoval from the logging area, whereby many of the smaller trees (aswell as the larger ones) must be removed from the logging area and takento a central landing area for immediate processing or otherwise referredto as “manufacturing” in logging vernacular.

Therefore, to meet the demands of the present logging operations, it isdesirable to have an apparatus which can operate in a logging job andwhich can accommodate the wide variety of logs which is required to beextracted, and further which can be adapted to cover a very large radiusand have the ability to extend over a great range to extract logs to acentral landing area for manufacturing. Further, this generally requirespowered actuators and a mobility system to accommodate these highdemands. In addition to the technical requirements and the new loggingenvironment for which logging operations now exist, there are additionalconsiderations of increasing the safety for loggers who are oftentimesinjured or “busted up” in the field. It is therefore desirable to have aunit which can execute the job of extracting the logs from the loggingarea to a central area without putting many loggers in harm's way bysetting chokers or having to be near the unit for operation. Inaddition, an apparatus which can be retrofitted to any number of cabletopographies, is particularly advantageous. As described herein below,the various prior art devices lack the versatility to be implemented ina variety of cabling arrangements which are described in the figuresbelow.

The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,350 (Maki) discloses a grapplecarriage which is essentially only suitable for a “skyline” cablearrangement. In general, a unit such as this is fairly large and heavy,and can weigh thousands of pounds and the weight would be in excess touse any other method than the skyline cable topography.

The other prior art references, such as Hale U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,225,and Mitchell U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,770, are units which are particularlyconducive for very large logs such as old growth timber. The jaws, whichessentially are non-actuated or have very limited actuating ability, areprimarily fed by the gravity of the unit. This is not reliable forsmaller logs or, in particular, bundles of logs where you need actuatingjaw clamps to contain those logs as a unit for haul back.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A grappling carriage adapted to be run by an operator and lift a bundleof logs in a logging operation from the field to a landing area, thegrappling carriage comprises an upper carriage assembly and an grappleassembly. The upper carriage assembly comprises an engine system havinga self-contained fuel supply and a a hydraulic drive system operativelyconnected to the engine system and comprising hydraulic lines adapted tohave pressurized hydraulic fluid pass therethrough. The grapple assemblycomprising first and second grapple legs having interior surfacesadapted to engage the bundle of logs in a logging operation pivotallyconnected to a grapple body. The grapple assembly has a center ofgravity positioned under the upper carriage assembly and furthercomprises an actuating system comprising an actuator adapted to positionthe first and second grapple legs to an open position and forcefullyposition the first and second grapple legs to a closed position. Thegrapple assembly further has a rotating actuator adapted to rotate thegrapple body with respect to the upper carriage assembly. There isfurther a control system adapted to receive signals from the operator toadjust the first and second grapple legs and rotation of the grappleassembly with respect to the upper carriage assembly. The grapplingcarriage is sufficiently lightweight to operate in logging cabletopographies such as a haul back, skyline or running skylinearrangement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a skyline cable topography in a loggingoperation;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a running skyline cable topography in alogging operation;

FIG. 3 shows a modification to the running skyline cable topographywhere a drop line is employed;

FIG. 4 is a front partial sectional view of the grappling carriage in aoperating orientation;

FIG. 5 is a top sectional view taken along line 5—5 of FIG. 4 of theswivel assembly;

FIG. 6 shows the grapple assembly rotating with respect to the uppercarriage assembly.

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the grapple assembly;

FIG. 7A shows an alternative bearing assembly;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a remote controlled receiver that isadapted to control the log carrying apparatus;

FIG. 9A discloses isometric view of the grappling carriage in a storedposition;

FIG. 9B shows a linking mechanism is adapted to say to you uppercarriage assembly and upright position with respect to the lower grappleassembly;

FIG. 10 shows the grappling carriage in a side view in a stored positionillustrating how the center of gravity is adapted to keep the unitupright;

FIG. 11 shows a front view of another embodiment of grapple legs;

FIG. 12 shows a transverse view of the embodiment of grapple legs shownin FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In general, there will first be a discussion of a logging cabletopography that the grappling carriage is adapted to operate.Thereafter, there will be a detailed discussion of one preferred form ofthe grappling carriage.

FIG. 1 shows a logging topography where a skyline method is shown havinga main line or a skyline indicated at 20 and the apparatus 22 pivotallyattached thereto with a pulley system 35. The line indicated at 24 isreferred to as a skidding or haul back line. The skidding line 24 isconnected to the device 22 at location 26. The drum location 30 has afirst drum indicated at 32 which takes in and lets out the main line 20.This controls the height of the apparatus 22 with respect to the ground.The second drum indicated at 34 controls the haul back which positionsthe apparatus 22 in the longitudinal direction indicated at 21 along thewhole logging unit.

As shown in FIG. 2 is a second logging method or cable topography whichthe present invention can be employed. FIG. 2 shows a running skylinemethod. This method is particularly of interest because many prior artdevices are too heavy to be employed in this method. As shown in FIG. 2the apparatus 22 is connected to the haul back 20 through a pulleysupport block system 35. The other end of the haul back is connected tothe apparatus at the location indicated at 36. The main line 24 is alsoconnected to the opposing side of the apparatus 22 at location 26. Itshould be noted that in FIG. 2, the cable denoted as numeral 20 isactually the haul back cable. In general the haul back cable is ofsmaller diameter (between ¾″ to ⅞″). The reason a smaller cable is usedis because the length of the cable 20 in FIG. 2 will have to extend overtwice the length of the logging area which logs are retrieved. Forexample, if there is a thousand feet between the anchor points 40 andthe yarding location indicated at 42, then approximately 2400 feet ofcable 20 must be employed. This requires a larger drum and the drums areof limited size in the environment where the invention is employed.Therefore, the cable indicated at 24 is generally a thicker cable andthe skyline cable as indicated at numeral 20 in FIG. 1 is normally thecable that is employed for that purpose. It should be noted that abreaking system is used at the yarding base 42 so tension is constantlyapplied to the cables 20 and 24. If tension was not constantly appliedto either one of these tables the apparatus 20 would simply fall to theground.

In the topography as shown in FIG. 2, the hall back cable 20 essentiallyallows the unit 22 to be elevated and raised from the ground. Themainline cable 24 is adapted to pull the unit 22 inwardly to thelanding, which is presumably somewhat near the actuating units 42. Itshould be further noted that this topography is particularly useful forhauling loads inwardly out from the field into the landing area, and theequipment is simply not set up to haul a heavy load back out into thelogging area field for the extraction of the logs. To place the unit outaway from the area for extraction of the logs, the running skylineessentially serves two purposes, where the hall back line 20 is providedwith an angle and the two support pulley points 35 provide lift for theunit 22, so that when tension is applied, the lateral tension on thedevice will pull it out into the field. If the unit 22 is heavy, say5000–6000 pounds, this essentially puts more strain on the cables andthe system. Further, when a load is upon the grapple unit 22, if thegrapple unit is an order of magnitude heavier (such as 4000–6000 poundsversus 2000–3000 pounds), this severely limits the amount of logs whichcan be taken in from the mainline 24.

It should be noted that because a smaller cable must be used for therunning skyline method, having a lighter apparatus 22 will facilitatethe logging and extraction method and in fact is the only type ofapparatus that can be employed in such a logging method. It should alsobe noted that the running skyline as shown in FIG. 2 is particularlyconducive in certain operations where the pulley support 40 is elevatedwith respect to the pulley support unit 41. In other words, there has tobe a tensioning member within the cable portion indicated at 20′ to liftthe unit 22 up the hill, as well as to prevent the unit 22 from crashingdown towards the actuating units 42 by virtue of gravity.

Now referring to FIG. 3, we have a drop line method. This method employsa haul back cable indicated at 50 which is generally similar to the haulback cable 20 in FIG. 2. Cable portion 52 indicate a top main line andportion 54 indicates bottom line portion. Cables 52 and 54 are the samecable and attached to a pulley 56 which is attached to the apparatus 22.This method allows for a drop line 58 to be employed where a combinationof tension applied to the cables 52 and 54 will allow lowering of thecable 58. It should be noted that a ratcheting system is employed so thecable will not droop or hang at the central location indicated at 60.This logging method allows for presetting to be used where the drop line58 is attached to a bundle of logs that has a chocker set there around.This allows for convention when not employing the carriage for whateverreason such as a malfunction or if the situation otherwise calls for aconventional logging to be employed.

It should be noted that the apparatus is particularly conducive forinterfacing with equipment which is designed and formed to work inenvironments that are substantially different. For example, yarders,some of which have limited capabilities in hauling weight and extendingcable lengths, are generally adapted for a choker setting system,whereby chokers are set by loggers in the field. It should be noted thatthere does not have to be a yarder at the landing, but rather any kindof machine or any type of actuator which is adapted to manipulate thelength of a cable. At any rate, the apparatus 22 does not require thesetting of chokers which can be hazardous to the logger in the field. Itshould be further noted that any machine that can work and run cablescan be retrofitted to use the grapple carriage. It should be furthernoted that the apparatus 22 is particularly conducive which operationswhich are referred to as “one end suspend.” This is a situation whereone end of a log is suspended and the other end drags and is partiallysupported by the ground. The apparatus is also conducive when in thecase of an obstruction, such as a stump, the support cable 20 (shown inFIGS. 1 and 2) can be tensioned slightly to raise the unit up and abovethe stump. It should be noted that upper carriage component 70 (see FIG.4) is adapted to be positioned and not rotate which would change theposition of the grappling carriage 22 by way of tensioning the main lineand haul back cables. In other words, the rotation is executed by thegrapple assembly 100 and during such rotation, the upper carriagecomponent 70 remains substantially positionally orientated with thesupporting cables (main line and haul back).

There will now be a discussion of the grappling carriage 22 with initialreference to FIG. 4, there is shown an upper carriage component 70 and agrapple assembly 100. The upper carriage compartment 70 houses and fullycontains all the main functional components of the grappling carriage22. The engine 72 is generally diesel type internal combustion engine.In one form the engine 72 is a ten-horse power air-cooled engine. Inother forms a twelve horse power or smaller engine can be employed. Themain function of the engine is to operate the hydraulic unit andpotential other peripheral items, such as lights. In the future, lighterengines with higher horsepower will be available, such as potentially 16horsepower, which is equivalent to 10-horsepower units at the time offiling this application. The unit can operate with a relativelylightweight lower horsepower engine than other prior art forms. At anyrate, in one best mode of making, a 10-horsepower engine providedadequate velocity of the hydraulic units and power associated therewithto operate the unit as prescribed. It should be noted that a relativelysmaller horse power engine can be used that is lighter than a largerengine where by motion of the grappling carriage 22 is conducted by thetension exerted upon the logging cables as shown in FIGS. 1–3. In oneconfiguration, positioned above the engine 72 is a fuel tank 74. Theunit does not have to be fitted for a non-vertical orientation since thecarriage 22 will always hang below the cable supporting the same. Theengine 72 is operatively connected to a variable displacement hydraulicpump schematically shown at 76. In general the rotating member outputshaft of the engine 72 is coupled to receiving the component of thehydraulic pump 76. The function of the pump is to flow hydraulic fluidtherethrough and elevate the pressure of the hydraulic fluid. Thehydraulic pump 76 in one form is a positive displacement variable flowpump such as a gear pump or piston pump. The main functional operationto the pump is to increase the pressure of the hydraulic fluid passingthere through and supply sufficient volume to operate the varioushydraulic components. The hydraulic tank 78 is essentially a sumpsupplying hydraulic fluid through line 80 to the hydraulic pump 76. Alsoencased within the housing is a battery 82 used to start the engine 72and a hydraulic valve system discussed below. Further enclosed in theupper carriage compartment 70 of the apparatus 22 is a control system 84comprising a remote controlled having a logic and circuitry containedtherein to operate the operative aspects of the apparatus 22.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 the stop system 160 is shown. In general anextension 162 is rigidly attached to the carriage assembly 70 as shownin FIG. 4 and more specifically the extension is attached to the pivotcoupler 113. The pivot coupler 113 is pivotally attached at the pivotpin 112 to the upper carriage assembly 70 (see FIG. 4). The extension162 has lateral side portions 164 and 166 that are adapted to engagestops 170 and 172 where as shown in FIG. 6, the extension 172 is engagedwith the extension 162 to limit the amount of rotation of the grappleassembly 100 with respect to the carriage assembly 70.

There will now be a discussion of the remote controlled receiver 84 withreference to FIG. 8. In essence, the remote controlled receiver isadapted to receive radio frequency signals to operate the variouscomponents of the apparatus 22. As shown in FIG. 8 the remote controlledreceiver 84 comprises of an antenna receptor or self contained antenna86 that is of such length to receive signals from anywhere in thelogging area. A most preferred form is the use of an RF transmission tocontrol the unit, where cabling is somewhat challenging to employ. Ofcourse, a variety of frequency modulation schemes that are known at thetime can be used, such as analog and digital signaling systems tocontrol the unit 22. It should be noted that there can be more than onetransmitter sending signals. For example, the yarder engineer may have atransmitter to send signals and the ground man (or otherwise referred toas a spotter) can additionally have a transmitter to send signals tocontrol the apparatus 22. In one form, there are eight channels tooperate the apparatus 22. Each channel can correspond to a frequencyrange or any other frequency modulation scheme that can properly sendsignals to the remote controlled receiver 84. Referring to the left-handportion of FIG. 8, two channels are employed where each one respectivelyopens and closes the grapple. The opening and closing of the grapplinglegs is accomplished with a dual actuating piston described below. Twoadditional channels are employed which are used mutually exclusive (aswith the previous two channels) to rotate the lower grapple assembly 100right or left. An additional channel is used for starting the engine. Ina most preferred form, an actuator controlled by one of the channelscontrols an idle solenoid which directly shut off the fuel supply to thefuel injection portion of the diesel engine. Alternatively, a fuel shutoff and shut on which is in a toggle format to disengage and engage thefuel line to the engine 72. Having a fuel shut off is advantageous wherethe orientation of the apparatus 22 is such there may be a leakage ordrainage issue where the engine is getting flooded with fuel.

An optional control is provided for lights 125 as shown in FIG. 4 orother external devices. The lights 125 are optional and can provideillumination in early morning or later evening work. Further in Northernportions of the Earth during winter months, daylight can be scarce whereillumination can be helpful for log extraction. In one form the 12-voltsoutput signal can power lights directly. Alternatively, an alternatorattached to the motor can be employed to provide additional amperage forhigher-powered lights where the 12-volt signal would at least in partfunction as the control switch to turn on and off the lights. Anadditional line is used for an engine throttle. In one form the controlline is somewhat unique whereas shown in the central portion of FIG. 8,diodes indicated at 90 are employed which are electrically connected toall of the lines 1 through 5 (only lines four and five are shown in FIG.8). The diode allows electrical transmission to pass to line 8 whichthereby passes through line 92 to an actuator such as a solenoid 94. Thesolenoid thereby activates the throttle which is schematically shown at96. Therefore, whenever any of the actions are taken such as opening andclosing the grapple or rotating the grapple, a control line is sent tothe throttle to power up the engine to provide sufficient output powerto operate the hydraulic motor 76 (or alternator in alternativeembodiments).

Referring back now to FIG. 7, a portion of the grapple assembly 100 isshown. The grapple assembly 100 comprises a grapple body 104 that ispivotally connected to the upper grapple carriage 70 by the extension102, and is pivotally attached thereto. The grapple body 104 ispivotally connected about a vertical axis to a swivel coupling 113. Theswivel coupling 113 comprises upper shoulder regions 114 that areadapted to be mounted to the pivot pin 112. In a more preferred form theschematic bearings 121A and 122A are thrust bearings such as taperedbearings such as that as shown in FIG. 7A. In another form as shown inFIG. 7, two Teflon type washers are employed where one washer isattached to the surface of the shoulder 116 and is adjacent to the uppersurface 117 of the grapple body. The second bearing could be washerindicated at 122 positioned beneath the grapple body and this secondwasher 122 is interposed between the upper surface 117 of the grapplebody 104 and the nut 108 that is threadedly engaged to the swivelcoupling 113. In one form, it is desirable to have a preload upon theTeflon surfaces so jarring and the like does not occur in operation.

In FIG. 7A a bearing structure 129, whereby a thrust bearings assembly131 is used which in one form are tapered bearings applied to have arotation but also handle the thrust. The thrust bearings on the upperand lower portions, so when the lower unit is in compression or tension,the unit can withstand such abuses. Interposed between the nut 108 andthe thrust bearing assembly 131 is a washer seal 111 that is adapted toextend to the outer distal portion of the bearing 131 to hold the greasetherein to the hub 115. In a like manner, a washer unit 119 is adaptedto be held in place by the lower shoulder surface 127. The thrustbearing assembly 131 is comprised of upper and lower taper bearings 133Aand 133B. The taper bearings 133A and 133B interface with a circularangle support 135A and 135B respectively. The circular angle supports135A and 135B are adapted to engage the circular flange 137 of thesupport cylinder 139. The support cylinder 139 is fixedly attached tothe upper surface 117 of the grapple body and in one form is weldedthereto.

Referring to FIG. 7, central cavity regions 124 are used to allowhydraulic lines to pass therethrough. It is desirable to have thehydraulic lines contained therein and not externally exposed so they arenot damaged in the rigorous operation for which the grappling carriage22 is designed. The rotating actuator (hydraulic motor in a preferredform) 126 has a central shaft 128 that is operatively connected to thepivot coupler 113 at location 135. The outer housing of the motor 126 isoperatively connected to the carriage assembly to provide rotation ofthe grapple assembly 100 with respect to the carriage assembly 70positioned thereabove.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hydraulic lines 130 as mentioned previouslypasses between the cavity regions 124 of the pivot coupler and extendslaterally as is divided to line pairs 132 and 134 and each line pairs132 and 134 are actually two separate lines that can alternatively andare hydraulically pressurized in mutually exclusive fashion whereby linepairs 132 force the actuators 1501 and 152 (that are best seen in FIG.4) are forcefully opened or alternatively forcefully closed in order torelease a set of logs and clamp a set of logs. Line pairs 134 areadapted to be pressurized by the control system 84 in a mutuallyexclusive manner to rotate the rotating actuator 126 in either directionfor rotation of the grapple assembly 100.

It should be noted that the internal Teflon washer 122 or taper bearing122A are self-contained within the lower grapple body 104. This isadvantageous because it is less susceptible to the elements such asbark, dust and debris which can cause premature wear of the bearing. Itshould also be noted that this internal washer in operation most of thetime will be absorbing most of the load since there is a verticallydownward load upon the grapple with the weight of the grapple assembly100 and the grapple assembly 100 in combination with a load of logs.Setscrews can be employed with the washer 108 to lock it and have itremovable and mechanically attached to the central threaded area 118. Itshould be further noted that in one form, the first and second actuators150 and 152 comprise the actuating system to position the first andsecond grapple legs in an open and closed position. Of course, theactuating system is defined broadly, where at least one actuator isemployed and by way of any form of linkage mechanism is adapted to openand close the first and second legs 154 and 156.

In general, the grapple legs 154 and 156 are pivotally connected to thegrapple body 104 at pivot locations 158 and 159. The grapple legs 154and 156 comprise interior surfaces 155 and 157 that are adapted toengage a log or a bundle of logs. It should be noted that in general,the grapple assembly 100 as shown in FIG. 4 has a center of gravitygenerally aligned along the axis 161. The center of gravity, which ispositioned below the pivot pin 112, is generally below a centerlongitudinal axis 163 of the upper carriage assembly 70. Of course thecenter of gravity of the upper carriage assembly can alter dependingupon the components contained therein. However, it should be noted thatit is positioned between the pulley location points 35 as shown in FIG.4 and the center gravity of the grapple assembly 100 is positioned inbetween the pulley point locations 35. As described further herein, themass of the grapple assembly is fairly substantial as compared to theupper carriage assembly 70 whereby the upper carriage assembly 70 can bepositioned in an upright position as shown in FIGS. 9A and 10.

FIG. 11 shows another configuration of grappling legs 255 and 256. Ingeneral, the grappling leg 255 comprises a plurality of tines 257A and257B that could be employed in operations such as extracting logs,debris or the like from, for example, a body of water where the array oftines extend in a transverse direction perpendicular to the embodimentas shown in FIG. 12. In a preferred form the tines on each opposing legwill have an odd and even number of tines. As shown in FIG. 11 the tines257A are positioned on grapple leg 255 and are positioned between tines257B of grapple let 256. Of course any number of tines can be used oneither grapple leg, but this is one preferred form.

It should be noted that a few of the more relevant features to drawattention to is that the grapple assembly 100 rotates with respect tothe carriage assembly 70. This rotation is a powered rotation and iscontrolled operatively by either the yarder engineer or the groundspotter. The hydraulic jaws or actuators 150 and 152 as shown in FIG. 4,are forceful actuators that clamp the grapple legs forcefully so heavierloads can be carried and displaced from one location to another.Further, the whole unit is relatively light so as shown in FIG. 2, therunning skyline method can be employed with a smaller cable such as a ¾or ⅞ inch cable that will only hold a smaller payload than a largercable. In another form, the grapple legs can be replaced with a rakelike device where as shown in FIG. 4 the grapple legs may extend aboutan axis that is perpendicular to the plane of this front view. Theserigs can be in one form deployed in a situation where material desiredto be removed from a body of water such as a river logjam and a grappleleg rig type system is advantageous for grabbing multiple smaller sizedobjects for removal from the body of water.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B and 10, the grappling carriage is in astorage state, whereby the center of gravity is positioned over thesupports and a locking mechanism 200 locks the lower boom member to theupper housing assembly. Further, the attachment member 210 is positionedapproximately over the center of gravity so that the unit can be liftedwith ease, whereby there is a desirable amount of slight tilt so thatthe grapple legs will tilt upward a slight amount when the unit islifted, which makes it easier for positioning and transporting thegrapple carriage 22.

Therefore, the center of gravity position and the locking mechanism 200as shown in FIG. 9B is advantageous for storing the unit, and further,it should be noted that the extension 162 (see FIG. 5), which isattached to the pivot coupler 113, is particularly well-suited to absorbsome of the vertical load thereon and provide a laterally outwardsurface 164 or 166 to help prevent toppling. Further, the connectionmember 202 by way of attaching to the stop 170 or 172 of the lowergrapple assembly 100 locks the upper housing in a vertical uprightposition for routine maintenance and other required actions taken uponthe apparatus. The connection member 202 as shown in FIG. 9B can behelpful in that items that are removed from the carriage assembly 70 canadjust the overall center of gravity of the unit, and the connectionmember 202 prevents toppling of the carriage compartment 70. Further,the lower stop members 170 and 172 engage the upper rib portions 201 ofthe housing unit, which further stabilizes the upper housing unit in thestored position. Therefore, while the upper housing unit is in asubstantially upright position, withheld by some sort of verticalsupport such as a cable with blocks attached thereto, the connectionmember 202, which in one form is an exterior piece that is interposedbetween the carriage compartment 70 and the grapple assembly 100 wheretwo pins fasten the two members together in a conventional manner. Thisarrangement provides for a nice compact unit where the inward uppersupport opening portion can be used as a single point of contact whereany kind of fastening member, such as a hook, can extend therethroughand maneuver the unit around such as to put it on a transport of somesort such as a trailer bed 212 or even on a truck bed fortransportation.

As shown in FIG. 10 there is a side view of the carriage assembly 22 ina stored position. The center of gravity of the entire assembly is tothe left of the support portion of the grappling body 104. Theconnection member 202 prevents the carriage assembly 70 from toppling ina clockwise manner and because the lower grapple assembly 100 has asignificant amount of mass with respect to the upper carriage assembly70, the net center of gravity of the grappling carriage 22 is safely tothe left of the right most portion 105 of the grappling body 104. In oneform the center axis 161 of the grapple assembly 100 is approximatelywithin 70 to 110 degrees of the center axis 163 of the upper carriageassembly 70 as shown in FIG. 10.

While the present invention is illustrated by description of severalembodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described indetail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in anyway limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additionaladvantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claimswill readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in itsbroader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details,representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shownand described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such detailswithout departing from the spirit or scope of applicants' generalconcept.

1. A grappling carriage adapted to be run by an operator and lift abundle of logs in a logging operation from the field to a landing area,the grappling carriage comprising: a. an upper carriage assemblycomprising: i. an engine system having a fuel supply, ii. a hydraulicdrive system operatively connected to the engine system and comprisinghydraulic lines adapted to have pressurized hydraulic fluid passtherethrough, b. a grapple assembly comprising first and second grapplelegs having interior surfaces adapted to engage the bundle of logs in alogging operation pivotally connected to a grapple body, the grappleassembly having a center of gravity positioned directly under the uppercarriage assembly and further comprising: i. an actuating systemcomprising actuators adapted to forcefully position the first and secondgrapple legs to an open position and forcefully position the first andsecond grapple legs to a closed position, ii. a rotating actuatoradapted to rotate the grapple body with respect to the upper carriageassembly, c. a control system adapted to receive signals from theoperator to adjust the first and second grapple legs and rotation of thegrapple assembly with respect to the upper carriage assembly, d. whereasthe grappling carriage is sufficiently lightweight to operate in loggingcable topographies comprising from one or more of the following a haulback, skyline or running skyline arrangement.
 2. The grappling carriageas recited in claim 1 whereby exterior lights are attached to thegrappling carriage.
 3. The grappling carriage as recited in claim 1where the engine system comprises a diesel engine.
 4. The grapplingcarriage as recited in claim 3 whereby the diesel engine is no more thana 12-horsepower engine.
 5. The grappling carriage as recited in claim 1whereby the actuating system comprises a first and second actuatorsindependently controlling the first and second grapple armsrespectively.
 6. The grappling carriage as recited in claim 1 wherebythe grappling carriage has an operating orientation where the grappleassembly is positioned directly under the upper carriage assembly andthe grappling carriage has a stored position whereby a center axis ofthe grapple assembly is non-co-linear to a center axis of the uppercarriage assembly.
 7. The grappling carriage as recited in claim 6whereby the center axis of the grappling assembly is substantiallyorthogonal to the center axis of the upper carriage assembly in thestored position.
 8. The grappling carriage as recited in claim 6 wherebywhen the grappling carriage is in a stored position, the center axis ofthe grapple assembly is approximately within 70 to 110 degrees of thecenter axis of the upper carriage assembly.
 9. The grappling carriage asrecited in claim 6 whereby a locking linkage is adapted to lock theposition of the grapple assembly with respect to the upper carriageassembly in a stored position.
 10. The grappling carriage as recited inclaim 9 whereby the combined center gravity of the upper carriageassembly and the grapple assembly is positioned in a manner to maintainthe upper carriage assembly in a substantially upright manner.
 11. Thegrappling carriage as recited in claim 1 whereby the upper carriageassembly is adapted to have cables from a cabling topography attachthereto to allow the grapple assembly to freely rotate thereunder. 12.The grappling carriage as recited in claim 1 whereby the control systemhas a conductive line in electric communication with a control line thatis adapted to adjust the first and second grapple legs and the rotationof the grapple assembly where said conductor is in communication with asolenoid that operates the throttle of the engine to increase the powerof the engine either the first and second grapple legs or the actuatorrotating the grapple assembly is in use.
 13. The grappling carriage asrecited in claim 1 where the control system is adapted to receivesignals from more than one operator to control the first and secondgrapple legs and rotation of the grapple assembly.
 14. A grapplingcarriage adapted to be run by an operator and lift and reposition a login a logging operation from the field to a landing area, the grapplingcarriage comprising: a. an upper carriage assembly comprising: i. anengine system having a fuel supply, ii. a hydraulic drive systemoperatively connected to the engine system and comprising hydrauliclines adapted to have pressurized hydraulic fluid pass therethrough, b.a grapple assembly comprising first and second grapple legs havinginterior surfaces adapted to engage the log in a logging operation,first and second grapple legs pivotally connected to a grapple body ofthe grapple assembly, the grapple assembly having a center of gravitypositioned under a pivot pin attaching the grapple assembly to the uppercarriage assembly and the grapple assembly operatively configured torotate about a center axis and the grapple assembly further comprising:i. an actuating system comprising actuators adapted to forcefullyposition the first and second grapple legs to an open position andforcefully position the first and second grapple legs to a closedposition, ii. a rotating actuator adapted to rotate the grapple bodywith respect to the upper carriage assembly, c. a control system adaptedto receive signals from the operator to adjust the first and secondgrapple legs and rotation of the grapple assembly with respect to theupper carriage assembly, d. whereas the center axis of the grappleassembly is positioned between the first and second grapple legs duringrotation of the first and second grapple legs.
 15. The grapplingcarriage as recited in claim 14 whereby the actuating system comprises afirst and second actuators independently controlling the first andsecond grapple arms respectively.
 16. The grappling carriage as recitedin claim 14 whereby the grappling carriage has an operating orientationwhere the grapple assembly is positioned directly under the uppercarriage assembly and the grappling carriage has a stored positionwhereby a center axis of the grapple assembly is non-co-linear to acenter axis of the upper carriage assembly.
 17. The grappling carriageas recited in claim 16 whereby the center axis of the grappling assemblyis substantially orthogonal to the center axis of the upper carriageassembly in the stored position.
 18. The grappling carriage as recitedin claim 16 whereby when the grappling carriage is in a stored position,the center axis of the grapple assembly is approximately within 70 to110 degrees of the center axis of the upper carriage assembly.
 19. Thegrappling carriage as recited in claim 16 whereby a locking linkage isadapted to lock the position of the grapple assembly with respect to theupper carriage assembly in a stored position.
 20. The grappling carriageas recited in claim 18 whereby the combined center gravity of the uppercarriage assembly and the grapple assembly is positioned in a manner tomaintain the upper carriage assembly in a substantially upright manner.21. A method of extracting logs from a logging site to a landing themethod comprising: a. positioning a grappling carriage having an uppercarriage assembly comprising pulley location points and an engine systemhaving a fuel supply, and a hydraulic drive system operatively connectedto the engine system and comprising hydraulic lines adapted to havepressurized hydraulic fluid pass therethrough, above a log to betransported, b. orientating first and second grapple legs of a grappleassembly fixedly positioned substantially under and between the pulleylocation points of the grappling carriage, where a rotating actuator isprovided to rotate a grapple body with respect to the upper carriageassembly where a center axis of the grapple assembly is positionedbetween the first and second grapple legs during rotation of the grappleassembly, and engaging interior surfaces of the first and second grapplelegs to the log, where the first and second grapple legs pivotallyconnected to a grapple body of the grapple assembly, and an actuatingsystem comprising actuators adapted to forcefully position the first andsecond grapple to an open position and to a closed position around thelog for transport, c. manipulating main line and haul back cables thatare cooperatively used to position and support the grappling carriage toposition the grappling carriage with the log to the landing; d. where asa remote control system adapted to receive signals from an operator toadjust the first and second grapple legs and rotation of the grappleassembly with respect to the upper carriage assembly, and the grappleassembly having a center of gravity positioned under a pivot pinattaching the grapple assembly to the upper carriage assembly and thegrapple assembly.
 22. The method as recited in claim 21 where thegrapple assembly can rotate with respect to the upper carriage whichremains substantially positionally orientated with the supportingcables.
 23. The method as recited in claim 21 whereby the grapplingcarriage is positioned from an operating orientation where the grappleassembly is positioned directly under the upper carriage assembly to astored position following a logging operation whereby a center axis ofthe grapple assembly is non-co-linear to a center axis of the uppercarriage assembly.
 24. The method as recited in claim 23 whereby thecenter axis of the grappling assembly is substantially orthogonal to thecenter axis of the upper carriage assembly in the stored position. 25.The method as recited in claim 23 whereby when the grappling carriage isin a stored position, the center axis of the grapple assembly isapproximately within 70 to 110 degrees of the center axis of the uppercarriage assembly.
 26. The method as recited in claim 23 whereby alocking linkage is positioned in a manner to lock the position of thegrapple assembly with respect to the upper carriage assembly in a storedposition.
 27. The method as recited in claim 26 whereby the grappleassembly is positioned in a storage position and placed on a transportand the combined center gravity of the upper carriage assembly and thegrapple assembly is positioned in a manner to maintain the uppercarriage assembly in a substantially upright manner.
 28. The method asrecited in claim 21 where the method of extracting logs includes usingthe grappling carriage that is sufficiently lightweight to operate inlogging cable topographies comprised from one or more of either a haulback, skyline or running skyline arrangement.
 29. The method as recitedin claim 28 whereby the grappling carriage is positioned from anoperating orientation where the grapple assembly is positioned directlyunder the upper carriage assembly to a stored position following alogging operation whereby a center axis of the grapple assembly isnon-co-linear and within 70 to 110 degrees to a center axis of the uppercarriage assembly.